Shopping & Services

BEST ELECTRONICS (AUDIOPHILE) Minneapolis 1998 -

DTS, AC-3, DVD, DSS, D-VHS--in the age of digital A/V, this classy playroom's paid perfectionists will help you sort out the many acronyms. The store's elegant pair of listening rooms house the very latest technology--which, at the peak of the high end, is actually old technology (e.g., tubes and turntables) refined for the millennium. And while this back-to-the-golden-era hardware doesn't come cheap--one handcrafted record player by VPI goes for two and a half grand--you don't necessarily need deep pockets to reap the benefits of Hi-Fi's expertise. If you come in seeking the best balance of price and performance (and who doesn't?), the staff won't simply push their midrange product; rather, they'll ask the size of your room, what kind of music you listen to, what components you're currently using, and which others you might add in the future. And when it comes to service, the sensitive in-house repair tech understands that bringing in your broken reel-to-reel can be like "taking your kid to the hospital."